Denture connection



SQpt. 144', 1926.l 1,599,987

' H. E. S. CHAYES DENTURE CONNECTION original Filed August zo. 1920 Patented Sept. 14, 1926.

entre!) sraras Pif'l'Elil'I.' OFFICE.

HERMAN E. S. CI-IAYES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

CHAYES DENTAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATON, OF NEVI YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA- TION 0F DELAWARE.

l DENTURE CONNECTION.

Application filed August 20, 1920, Serial No. 404,892. Renewed January l), 1925.

This invention relates to the support ot removable dentures and has for its objects to provide a simple, practical and inexpensive form ot connection for removably securing dentures in position.

A special object is to provide a form of connecting member for the removable denture which will be so small as to require but slight cutting away of the pier tooth or other member which carries the socket theretor and which at the same time will be quite strong and capable oi' withstanding all the strains to which the same may be subjected.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a connecting member of substantially T-shape and made up of a strip having a portion ot reduced thickness and folded so as to bring the doubled over thin portions in the head of the T. 'Ihis gives all the necessary strength and keeps the thickness of the head down to a minimum.

The invention involves various other novel features including a novel method oi constructing the connecting member, all of which will appear as the specification proceeds. v

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated the invention embodied in a simple, practical form, but wish it understood that' modifications and changes may be made without departure from the true scope and spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

In the ldrawing referred to Figure l is a perspective view `illustrating the invention applied to a denture in thel form of a removable bridge.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the connecting member as applied to a single tooth.

Y Figures 3 and lare edge and tace views respectively of the strip from which the connecting member is formed.

Figure 5 is an enlarged plan View of the connecting member and a form of socket therefor. l

Figure 6 is a central sectional view of the member taken on substantially the plane of line 6 6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an illustration of the connecting member as viewed from the right hand side thereotI in Figs. 5 and 6.

Figure 8 is a View illustrating the blank for one of the connecting members as cut -to a minimum the amount from the strip shown in Figure 4 and on the dotted lines in that view. i Y

v As appears most clearly in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the connecting member consists of a vsubstantially T-shaped element having a practically flat head 10 and a post or web 11, standing approximately at a right angle thereto. The web portion 11 is usually secured in the inlay l2 of the removable denture 13 and the head stands out in position to .slide into a socket shaped to receive the head, such as I have indicated at 14 in Figure 5.

This socket is usually secured in an inlay or a crown fixed on the pier tooth. In either case, and particularly so in the case of the inlay, it is desirable that this socket shall be of as small dimensions in the plane of the dent-al arch as possible,`so as to reduce of cutting away which is necessary in the side Vof the pier to form a seat for the socket. This desirable result is accomplished in my invention by making the head of the connectingmember of reduced thickness and still of thel requisite strength by thinning down the stock from which the head is formed and by then doubling over said thinned stock so as to thereby gain reduced thickness with necessary strength.

In Figures Sand 4 I have. illustrated a strip of the material and in Figure 8, one of the blanks cut from said strip andfrom which the connecting member is made. The strip r has alternately arranged relatively thick and thin areas 15 and 16 respectively, each extending the `full width of the strip. Near one edge of the strip, the lower edge in Figure 4, thethin portions 16 are extended at opposite ends to vundercut the thickenedV portions, as indicated at 17. This provides the lateral wings 18 of thin metal whose purpose will be later explained. This construction provides reversely arranged substantiallyl T-shaped relatively thick and thin portions sequentially disposed longitudinally of the strip and may be produced by passing the strip between suitable dies shaped to produce the alternately reduced or thinned areas in the strip.

The blank illustrated in Figure 8 is producedl by severing the strip transversely on the lines 19 and cutting away the thickened Ai (l portions longitudinally of the strip on the lines 20. Also in forming the blank, the lateral wings of the thinned areas are cut away on the lines 21, so as to reduce them to the length substantially as shown in Figure 8.

This method of cutting provides a blank with an intermediate thinned portion of the full width of the strip and having at oppo site ends thereof the thickened lateral wings 22 of less than the full width of the strip and the thinned lateral wings 18 at the lower edges of the thicker wings 22.

The intermediate portion of the thin part of the blank between the lines 23 forms the back of the head and the thin portions 24 at the opposite sides thereof and between the lines 23 and the lines 25 are folded over on the back portion into the relation best shown in Figure 5 and in which view I have also designated the fold lines 23 and 25.

By this simple method of cutting and folding, there is thus produced a T-shaped con necting member having a double head of thin material and a doubled post, each leg 22 of which is of full thickness.

In doubling over the ends of the thinned portion of the blank, the lateral wings 18 (Figs. 6, 7 and S) of thin metal are preferably brought together into abutting relation beneath the relatively thicker outstanding portions 22 so as to close up the space which otherwise would beleft at the lower edge of the member vbeneath the outstanding wings. This arrangement and relation of parts produces a back member which is of double thickness throughout its exposed surfaces.

The reduced portion of the blank may be of half or even less than half the normal thickness of the blank, so that in the iinal form, the folded and doubled back portion may be of no` greater thickness than one of the wings 22. This makes th-e head portion of the connecting member exceedingly compact and enables the use of relatively thin and flat sockets. At the same time the strength of the connecting member is not affected, since the doubled over layers compensate for the reduction which has been made in the thickness thereof.` Also by this construction, the post portion of the T- shaped member consists of relatively thick legs or wings which are strong enough to stand any amount of side twist to which they may be subjected and which can be easily and firmly anchored in the inlay or other part to which they are fastened.

The lateral thin wings or extensions 18 of the blank which come together in abutting relation in the finished construction, lill in a pocket which otherwise would be left at this point and by providing a smooth surface, facilitate the sliding action of the de vice in its socket.

What I claim is 1. A connecting member for removable dentures formed of a single strip of material and having a head portion and a web portion standing at an angle thereto, said head consisting of doubled over layers of the strip and one of which layers is of lesser thickness than that part of the strip which forms the web.

2. A connecting member for removable dentures having a doubled head portion of relatively thin material and a projecting web of thicker material but of less than the full width of the head and said head having an extension of the thin material standing beneath that partof the thicker web which is of less than the full width of the head.

3. A blank for a denture connection comprising a strip-having a relatively thin intermediate portion and thicker portions at the opposite ends thereof, said thicker end portions being of less than the full width of the strip and the intermediate thin portion having lateral thin extensions projecting along the edges of the thicker portions.

4. Arblank for denture connections comprising a substantially T-shaped plate having a relatively thin intermediate portion the full width of the plate, relatively thicker wing extensions at the opposite ends of said intermediate portion and of lessvthan the full width of thel plate and relatively thin extensions projecting from the intermediate portion beneath the thicker lateral entensions.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature.

HERMAN E. S. GHAYES. 

